Even Shakyamuni Buddha who was a historical figure is/was "just a product of my own wishful thinking"?? You have not seen nor touched Shakyamuni, you merely think of him. So it is a good example of purely mental existence, that you nevertheless propose as something absolutely real. I don't know if ...

So if merely observing alters the paths of the electrons, what does that tell you? It tells me that the mind has some influence on the physical world, but exactly how much and to what extent is still unclear. And while we're on the subject quantum entanglement operates so quickly over distances tha...

If there's an external reality that you cannot experience, how would you know about it? From scientists and scientific instruments. For example, I can't see infra-red light, but I believe that it exists because of the writings of scientists about it. Have you ever looked into the double slit experi...

3) I can understand the concept of going to great lengths to acquire a fortune and capture womenfolk, but I can't envision anyone sailing as a recreational activity. Sailing isn't just about showing off. It is also a great way to connect with nature and to learn to appreciate the power and beauty o...

The concept of "whiteness" in America lost a lot of its meaning for me ever since the majority of white Americans started listening to rap in the 90s and started adopting rap fashions and slang. However, a person of any race can be "an honorary white American" in my eyes if they satisfy the followin...

If you want soup in a Zen context, then just practice oriyoki at lunch time with a Soto Zen group! Although you will only have soup in one bowl, you will have a total of 3 bowls to play with! :D hehe Oriyoki is also an important "team" activity: you can't just follow your own desires; you have to do...

"All is mind" sure sounds a lot like "Mind precedes all things" found in the earlier material, so not strictly a Mahayana thing for sure. I guess it's kind of difficult to process the idea that anything we experience is shaped by our mind, especially when some blindly cling to faith in an external,...

Everything, the entire realm of experience, is the product of "one's own wishful thinking/fantasies/delusions". If one encounters a buddha or several buddhas in one's meditation, that is actually seeing a buddha. To think that there is a buddha besides one's actual experience, that is assuming an i...

How does one distinguish between actually contacting a buddha mentally and one's own wishful thinking/fantasies/delusions? This is not something one has to worry about. Better to practice more -- then there's some kind of chance that there will be genuine contact. Yes, lately I have also been think...

In this video, American Zen teacher Tetsugen Bernie Glassman discusses his famous street retreats as well as his "bearing witness" retreats which he holds in Auschwitz and in other locations where major tragedies have happened around the world. I really admire Tetsugen Glassman's courage to take Zen...

That's cool. Welcome, Dharmagreg! :) You might want to check out the book "The Jewel Ornament of Liberation" by Gampopa. https://www.amazon.com/Jewel-Ornament-Liberation-Wish-Fulfilling-Teachings/dp/1559390921 It sequentially goes through the basic philosophy of the Kagyu path of Tibetan Buddhism. I...

I think confining the 'movement' of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas across world systems to the parameters of physical space-time (i.e. the Realm of Form) is a bit off. All things are manifest of mind. All is the Dharmakaya. And our Buddha-nature is nothing other than Mind, obscured and tethered by th...

I understand Luke, I read those same books too and if that's all you know it's reasonable to make those assumptions. I was pretty shocked at the faith element in Buddhism. I think the 2 best books for you right now are Practically Religious and Pure Land-Zen, Zen-Pure Land: Letters of Patriarch Yin...

I can't help but sound harsh if I'm honest, but it seemed like the monk was just making up Buddhism as he taught it, telling the majority what they wanted to hear, tradition, scripture, and orthodoxy be damned. Yes, departing so far from Buddhist tradition is clearly no good. Even though I am now q...

Why do people always assume I'm angry and attack me personally? Ay-yay-yay! Just chill, bro! I wasn't trying to attack you personally, and I appreciate the work you put in to maintain this forum. :namaste: Next thing I know, you're going to be bringing up my status as a mod and complain how I've bu...

Can't hold up 3 random texts and make the claim that because a particular practice isn't in either of them that the practice isn't Buddhist or perfectly in line with Buddhist doctrine. True, but I never made such a claim. Anyway, you seem to be in a bad mood, so I'm sorry if I disturbed your mental...